Read about how corporate responsibility for human rights plays out in Brazil here (Conectas Human Rights, 8 April 2011)

"Rio+20: why Brazil is a country of contradictions" (Pablo Barras and Alice do Valle, The Guardian, 13 June 2012) – The host of the recent UN Conference on Sustainable Development is no stranger to the ongoing debates and tensions around sustainable development. Although some Brazilian companies have forward-thinking practices in this area, many are lagging behind.

"Businesses Vital to Rio + 20 Success" (Ben Tavener, The Rio Times, 19 June 2012) – Businesses can play an active role in promoting sustainable development and it is often good for their own bottom line.

"Brazil worries about another energy crisis" (Anthony Boadle, Reuters, 9 Jan 2013) – Climate change is affecting rainfall patterns in Brazil, especially in the northeast. The current drought in Brazil is making electrical generation from hydropower more difficult. This is bad news for the Brazilian economy, which relies heavily on hydropower for electricity. The current crisis comes on the heels of a severe drought in 2001 that sparked widespread fires in the Amazon.

Environmental Protection

"Sustainable Development and Our Responsibilities" (Amartya Sen, Ethical Values in Global Business, 2010) - Discussion of political and economic actions and the responsibilities of actors for environmental sustainability, as well as what that sustainability would look like.

"Deforestation appears to rise again in Brazil’s Amazon" (Paulo Prada, Reuters, 24 Jan 2013) – Deforestation of the Amazon is accelerating despite promises from the government and outside organizations to slow the rate of deforestation. Satellites now play a key role in evaluating the extent of the damage.

"Norway to pay Brazil $180 million for slowing deforestation" (Reuters, 6 Dec 2012) – Norway will pay $180 million to the Brazilian government in an effort to protect ecosystem services, indigenous people, and biodiversity. People and countries around the world have a stake in the world’s largest rainforest.

"The Unique Rights of Indigenous Peoples" (Dinah Shelton, Think Africa Press, 12 Nov 2012) – Chair of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Dinah Shelton gives some historical background on the concept of indigenous rights and how claims to these rights have been addressed in Africa and the Americas. She concludes that the term “sustainable development” reflects the triad of interests that must be taken into account by governments and international organizations. Not a single one of the three goals – environmental protection, economic development and respect for human rights – can be achieved without consideration for the other two.

"Development puts indigenous peoples at risk" (Marco Sibaja, Associated Press, 10 June 2012) – Indigenous people are consistently pushed aside in the quest for development. This is illustrated in the negotiations leading up to and the initial construction of the giant Belo Monte Dam in the Amazon.

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